CHAPTER 42……………………………………………..
They could never be Irina’s family again.
Alexis let out a long sigh.
His gaze slowly drifted toward the drawer containing the vials.
His decision to bring Irina back to the ducal house had nothing to do with April’s carriage accident.
It was because his heart was growing weaker by the day, and he only had about a year left.
It was also because of the guilt he’d carried for nearly three years after expelling Irina from the ducal mansion.
He wanted to apologize to her for the hardships she’d endured, and provide proper compensation.
Even though there was no blood relation, he had raised Irina as his daughter.
After his death, he had intended to leave the Rubella mines, owned by the ducal house, as her inheritance. That was why he had brought her back.
“Father.”
At Lian’s soft voice, Alexis swallowed roughly.
It was impossible to tell whether the difficulty in breathing was due to his frail body or the weight of his guilt.
“The ducal house must apologize to Irina and provide proper compensation.”
“Yes. Make sure she is brought back.”
“Yes.”
Lian nodded with a slightly calmer expression and left the office.
He found himself wondering why Irina had chosen to return to the ducal house.
If he were Irina, he would have been tempted to wipe out everyone in the house.
“Brother, what happened?”
Biting his dry lips hard, Lian turned from the window toward where Barak was standing.
Even if Barak had been harsh to Irina, Lian had tried to understand it as guilt over April—but not anymore. He could no longer overlook Barak’s behavior.
“Barak.”
“Huh?”
Barak flinched at Lian’s sharp tone, his tear-streaked eyes, and the intensity of his gaze—something he had rarely seen from his generally mild-tempered brother.
“Never treat Irina carelessly again.”
“Brother!”
“If I see you mistreat her again, then I swear—”
Even if he wanted to argue, he couldn’t. Lian’s expression was unlike any he’d seen before.
Barak had never seen him this angry, not even in childhood.
“I was a fool to worry about what might have happened.”
Barak frowned at seeing Lian, worried more about Irina than his own sister April.
He disliked both Lian fussing over that girl and Irina subtly manipulating him.
Poor April—though she was blood-related, she had spent years in the ducal house and no one had ever paid her proper attention.
With that, Barak turned away with a sulky expression and stomped down the long corridor.
Only after Barak disappeared from view did Lian let out a small sigh and look toward the window.
Irina, who had just seen the priest off, was re-entering the ducal house.
Her light beige hair, just like April’s, fluttered in the wind.
As she slowly raised her head, their eyes met, and she quickly averted her gaze.
Whatever Irina’s purpose in returning, Lian resolved to confront it on her terms.
“…Hah.”
It was the only way he could apologize to her.
“You’ve improved a lot.”
Even without her words, it was obvious she had healed. The wound had closed, and April could walk without major issues.
Of course, she still needed a cane when walking. She limped, but it was far from the first tentative steps she had taken like a newborn giraffe.
I nodded slightly and asked,
“The scar remains, but compared to before, it’s much better.”
“Scars are nothing.”
Unlike most noble ladies who acted as if a single scratch was catastrophic, April remained calm and practical.
She had lived longer as a commoner than as a noble, and that likely shaped her temperament.
“A scar won’t change the way you treat me.”
She smiled at me with the same face as mine.
Of course. My treatment wouldn’t change just because of a scar on her leg.
No noble would dare act recklessly toward a duchess, the fiancée of the crown prince.
Even if Perfone demanded a cancellation of the engagement, no other noble could know what the family didn’t.
“Fortunately, there’s no problem walking. If you keep practicing, you’ll be able to walk without the cane.”
“Yes.”
Watching April smile as brightly as sunlight twisted something deep inside me.
How long would that smile last? She could smile like that only because she didn’t know I had returned to the ducal house.
I had to make sure she never learned of my presence—at least, not without Allen’s help.
“Then let’s stop here for today. If you feel any pain, tell Allen.”
April, seated, nodded firmly. Now that she was back in the ducal house, there was only time late at night to check on her.
Tonight was also the night she was to meet Tamitarte at midnight, so we needed to leave the villa quickly.
As we left April’s room, I gestured for Barak to cast a spell.
He looked somewhat displeased. While I was used to his temper, I had never seen him look this way at me.
“When will April’s leg fully heal?”
Before I could ask why he looked displeased, Barak spoke first, crossing his arms.
“I just said it’ll take some time, didn’t I?”
“It’s been over a month since treatment started, and her leg—!”
“Do you forget how much I’ve already healed a leg that wasn’t improving?”
He seemed impatient, having stayed in the villa the whole time.
Why now? Perhaps because I had returned to the ducal house… But it was strange, since it had been days since I arrived.
Even back in the ducal house, he rarely acted this way.
If anything, he had stopped picking fights with me, probably due to what happened in the library.
It seemed he wanted April to recover quickly so she could chase me away.
“People’s hearts are tricky, aren’t they?”
Barak paused, displeased at my words, but he couldn’t threaten me since he had to watch over her until full recovery.
“You said I could just check her condition at first, didn’t you?”
“Yes, it’s a contract, so asking this much is fine.”
It had been a long time since I saw him exercise such restraint. He still treated his younger brother gently.
“If you think I’m not reliable, you can ask someone else. Even a priest from the Main Temple.”
“….”
“Really, it won’t matter. Rumors will spread anyway.”
Why is a princess fully recovered and in the capital after a carriage accident? Were they twins? Or… other speculation will spread.
Even if she went to the Main Temple, no one would have results as good as mine. Smiling faintly at Barak’s frustrated face, April tugged his sleeve as she stepped out.
“Brother, why? You’re my benefactor.”
“No, it’s your leg—”
“Don’t worry too much about what you said. You were just concerned about me.”
“Of course. It’s fine.”
April smiled with ease, unlike the first time we met.
“So, I’ll head back to the shop now. Will you help me, Barak?”
With a short sigh, he snapped his fingers. The orange light in the sky slowly filled my vision.
When I opened my eyes, we were at the entrance of Darryl Village.
Barak, knowing the shop’s location, had intentionally placed us at the village entrance instead of inside—a kind of protest or mischief.
“It looks like he deliberately dropped us here.”
Allen chuckled, fully understanding Barak’s personality.
“Exactly.”
Considering the temper he had shown me before, this mischief was nothing. I laughed softly and asked,
“She’ll manage daily life okay, right?”
“Yes, as long as she has a cane, there’s no problem.”
Allen, who had watched over April closely, knew her condition better than anyone.
